toddv (06/22/82)
5 4 3 2 1 1. Why didn't ET use his levitational powers to escape in the beginning of the movie? It's quite possible that he did. As I recall, he couldn't walk any faster than two miles per hour even when in a hurry. Yet in the woods he was scooting along nearly as fast as the bikes later flew. There is no reason that I can see that he couldn't levitate himself just a few inches off of the ground. 2. Why exactly did Elliot (the younger boy) get drunk when ET did? What kind of "link" was between them? "He feels what ET feels." -- Older brother That really doesn't explain a whole lot. 3. What happened after ET tried to call his people (with the hoakiest apparatus I've ever seen in a low budget movie)? How did he end up in the creek? 4. What exactly was the cause of death for ET? HOW did his people revive him? Magic? Abra-ca-dabra! Can anybody offer explainations to clear up all the loose ends? Todd Vierheller teklabs!tekmdp!azure!toddv
otto (06/25/82)
I thought that the "hokey" apparatus used by ET was one of the best touches in the movie. It was clearly a children's film that adults could enjoy as well. The idea that an intersteller communications device could be concocted from a combination of a Speak-n-spell, fork, string, aluminum- covered umbrella, coffee can, etc. is clearly one that a child could easily want to accept. Didn't you, as a child, think that TV's could be constructed from cardboard boxes with "something special" added to them, or that an ordinary blanked if held up "just the right way" under the light of the moon could turn it into a flying carpet or invunerable armor? I know I did, and the device ET created had *exactly* the same feel. It took me right back to my childhood. No wonder Spielberg is now considered the best director working in the US today. Right on!! George Otto Bell Labs, Indian Hill ----------------------
Staples.ES@PARC-MAXC@sri-unix (06/29/82)
Read the book.
felix (07/01/82)
The link between ET and the kid is EMPATHY, as anyone who reads SF/Fantasy novels should know. Felix